Former Terps attacker Halle Majorana passes the ball off to midfielder Brooke Griffin during a game in the 2013 season. Majorana has since transferred to Syracuse.
Early in the first half against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Terrapins women’s lacrosse attacker Halle Majorana ran around the back of the net and faked a shot. Hokies goalkeeper Meagh Graham moved her stick on the fake, giving Majorana a lane to rip a shot into the net for her first goal of the game.
Such finishes became commonplace by the end of the afternoon, and Majorana went on to score a career-best four goals in a 22-12 victory over the Hokies in the regular-season finale.
“Everyone was moving off-ball so I was able to get open a lot,” Majorana said. “The openings were there, and I think I was just being patient and being smart when the opportunity came.”
After Majorana scored 23 goals in 20 games in her first season with the Terps, the sophomore joined the starting lineup to begin this season. But Majorana scored just four goals in the first seven games and failed to find the back of the net against ranked opponents Duke and Penn State.
Coach Cathy Reese took notice of Majorana’s reduced production and opted for a more defensive lineup before the Terps’ win at Syracuse on March 10. Reese plugged defender Casey Pepperman into the starting lineup and sent Majorana to the bench, and she has stuck with that lineup ever since.
Majorana adjusted to the new role, however, and has improved in the nine games since the win at Syracuse. She scored 10 goals and added six assists in that span after posting just three assists in 20 games her freshman year.
The Manhasset, N.Y., native, whom Inside Lacrosse ranked the No. 14 recruit in the class of 2012, typically replaces one of the Terps’ five defenders when the team moves the ball into the offensive end.
“I like running in and coming in on the fast break,” Majorana said. “It gives our offense a different look and sometimes it catches the other defenses off guard.”
In her breakout performance against the Hokies, Majorana was efficient, scoring on four of her five shots. It marked a positive step for her.
Majorana’s performance came in a season in which she’s seen a dip in shooting percentage. She’s scored on 41.7 percent of shots this year after posting a 53.5 percentage last season.
Majorana was successful against the Hokies when she incorporated a shot-fake before firing on goal. On three of her four goals, she faked before shooting, moving the goalkeeper and leaving the net empty for an easy score.
“I definitely always shoot high-to-high, so I try to change it up and throw a fake in there so it’s not an easy save,” Majorana said. “I have been definitely been working on that, and my coaches have been telling me to do that.”
Majorana wasn’t the only member of the team to find the back of the net at a high clip. The Terps have struggled with shooting better than 50 percent in recent games, but they scored on 22 of their 30 shots Saturday, yielding a season-best scoring output.
As with Majorana’s shot-fakes, the key for the Terps was patience. The offense moved without the ball, and they often found cutters open in front of the Hokies’ net.
The Terps also didn’t force passes inside and committed one turnover in the second half.
“We weren’t rushing it to just take any shot,” Reese said. “We were a little more patient, so when the right shot was there, it was pretty open.”
After a slow start to her season and a move to a new role, Majorana was able to put together one of her best performances before the Terps start the ACC tournament Thursday.
“Halle had a great game,” Reese said. “We saw a lot more from her offensively than we have over the past couple of games.”
